When you are starting your weight loss journey, it can seem a bit daunting.
Changing your entire lifestyle and swapping out all the bad habits for good ones isn’t easy. But it can be.
How? By starting small – and that is our entire ethos on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge
Little things can add up to big differences. Just ask these mums who shared with us what SMALL changes have helped them achieve BIG weight loss success.
Small Things/Big Differences
It’s always good to keep the big picture in mind. But on those days when the end result seem too far away and the big picture is too overwhelming to look at, take a step back. We all have to start somewhere.
These inspirational mums started small but gained amazing results proving that even the minor changes can lead to massive weight loss results.
Here are 14 tips to help get you started and see you losing 1kg a week.
1. Think small
Even with portion sizes. Using a small plate can easily help you keep track of how much you are eating as can a portion control bowl.
2. Eliminate the temptation
Start by ditching the sweets and snacks in the pantry. Then, train yourself not to pick at the leftover foods the kids leave. One mum says she bins her daughter’s leftovers before she has a chance to eat them.
Another mum went one step further by adopting a puppy…which meant she no longer could eat the kids’ leftovers.
3. Swap to herbal teas
For many of our mums, simply starting the day with a herbal tea or water rather than a coffee has made a huge difference.
As Sandy tells us, swapping to green or peppermint tea has left her “feeling energised in the afternoon instead of sluggish.”
For Chloe, incorporating herbal teas has “made a huge difference in my bloating and in turn made me feel better about myself as I felt less self conscious!”
3. Organise your meals
For Nataria, writing a weekly meal plan has been her secret to success. You can even go one step further by making double matches of meals and freezing them for the evenings when you are too tired to cook.
4. Set little goals (with rewards)
Losing 1kg is worth celebrating (even if you have 50kg more to go). Offer yourself a little reward for every milestone you reach (a hair cut, a new dress, a night out).
As Chel, who has lost an incredible 50kg* tells us: “I set a goal for the first 5kg lost to get a new pair of runners which would assist me with learning how to run. I stuck to that reward and have lost another 45kg, and learnt how to run)!”
Shannon also has a unique reward system. She puts money in a tin anytime she wants takeaway. “I’m saving for a holiday now,” she tells us.
4. Drink more water
Water is essential to losing weight and riding your body of toxins. But drinking it can be tricky. Carrying around a water bottle with you is a good way to get in your daily intake.
The 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge app helps you keep track of your water intake and taking a water bottle with you is a convenient way to keep hydrated and eliminate food cravings no matter where you are.
5. Cut out (or limit) soft drink.
Swapping to mineral water or even soda water can make a massive difference.
As Kacie tells us, “I’ve gone from having 1-2 coke a day to 1-2 cokes a week. I couldn’t believe how much of a difference it has made.”
6. Change your bedtime routine
Emily noticed a big difference in her energy levels almost right away when she started going to bed a bit earlier.
“It means I wake having had a good sleep, I have more energy, and am less likely to over eat,” she explains. Setting a regular bed time and wake up time allows your body to heal and sets the tone for the rest of the day.
7. Track your day
Abbey is one of the many mums who uses her Healthy Mummy diary to track her meals, her exercise and her sleep habits.
“I find it helps if I write down what I eat/exercise etc as it keeps me accountable and I have to see it the following day! It gives me the kick up the butt I need,” she says.
8. Start the day with a smoothie
It’s so important to eat breakfast but many of us simply don’t (me included). Some of our mums admit that swapping out bread for the Healthy Mummy smoothies was an easy switch that has had an impact.
Linda says, “Instead of skipping breakfast kick starting the day with a smoothie.”
9. Flex, squat and walk whenever you can
Even adding 10 squats in while you wait for your tea to steep, flexing your abs while vacuuming and walking the ten minutes to the shops can help.
10. Get standing
For Teagan, the trick to getting her exercise up was to make excuses to stand.
“I’ve stopped sitting to watch TV during the day and will now stand,” she tells us. “This makes you move more than you realise.”
11. Eat less, more often
Swapping to six smaller meals a day has been the key for many of our mums who admit that they stay fuller for longer and feel more energised throughout the day.
12. Change your mindset.
Rather than focusing on the negatives, focus on the positives.
Ness admits that she has “stopped thinking of food as ‘good’ and ‘bad’. This has improved my respect for food immensely, and stopped me from feeling guilty if I indulge now and then.”
As the inspirational Chel (above) reminds us all, “It’s the small things, but such awesome motivation if you can plan a reward when you reach your goals, no matter how big or small they may be!”
A massive thanks to all the ladies who shared their small changes. We hope these hints inspire you, motivate you and remind you that the little things really do matter.
Naomi says:“Two years and three months difference between these pictures (and a second pregnancy). Just under 35kg* difference! I can’t believe how much healthier and happier I am now.
“Thank you The Healthy Mummy for giving me the confidence to be the fitter and healthier Naomi I’ve always wanted to be!”
Regain body confidence with our easy workouts made for busy mums
Want to shift your baby weight but feel like you have NO TIME in your day to exercise and eat healthily? That’s where the Healthy Mummy’s 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge can help.
Are you ready to become a Healthy Mummy?
*Images and references to kilograms lost are as supplied by the individual in the story. The Healthy Mummy assumes information and photographs supplied to be true in nature and is not responsible for any false misrepresentations or claims relating to their programs or products.